O’Melveny tells the story of Gabriela Mondini, a woman who learned medical skills from her father in 16th Century Venice. It was unusual for a woman to be a doctor at this time in history and this often caused Gabriela to have to overcome the prejudice of those around her. The adventure begins when her mentor/father disappears and she sets out to find him, traveling across Europe with two trusted household servants. While I enjoyed reading the historical aspects of the book and some of the lore, I found the preponderance of medical folklore a bit overwhelming. I also feel the author tied it all up a little too neatly at the end and her conclusions were predictable, but must say that there were many wonderful descriptive passages. Overall though, I would have preferred more mystery.